Then again isn't someone still in training?

It's a long way to April 2011...

Does anybody know what specifically will be in the workshop sessions this year? I'm assuming there'll be an Andy Scott led 'Sax Assault' session, but I can't find any more info on the RNCM site, and it's now less than a month away...

The brochure very helpfully has "Workshop Sessions I, II, and III" on it and I think that's probably as much detail as you'll get until you turn up. I'd recommend giving Workshop Sessions II a miss and going to the Vincent David masterclass.

So the brochure is no more helpful than the website then...last year I'm sure they gave more details...

Ah well, it'll be a surprise when we all turn up...

Looks like Emsoboe will be joining you at the Saxday after all.

Wonderful news!

I'll email/PM you nearer the time

Bought my ticket for this today - I'm in the front row for both the evening concerts so either the front row is unpopular or there have'nt been many tickets sales so far.

I went to this last year as an extreme novice and had a brilliant time - I'm really looking forward to this now.

Chad

Wonderful!

Do feel free to come and say hello - look at my profile picture, and you'll see a picture of me!

See you there!

Don't want to burst your bubble but there are no seats allocated for the concerts.

Enjoy the day!

What ! you mean we have to sit on the floor ?

My evening concert tickes definitely have seat numbers printed on them ! Do RNCM use the british rail seat reservation system ?

Either way, it will be good fun...

Chad

I *think* this year they've changed the system so that individual seats are allocated for the final concert...

I asked the organiser of the wind weekend and she said she didn't know - Andy and Rob are keeping it under their hats.

Still not sure if Music Stand can make it this year - he has so much course work music is taking a bit of a back seat...

Thanks for that Chris . I'm willing to bet Sax Assault will be there somewhere...



Fingers crossed he can make it...

I've sent an email, to see if I can get more information. How sneaky of me...

Good idea - please let us all know what you find out. Music Stand is hoping for some masterclasses - he played his clarinet at the Wind Weekend, and got some very useful comments indeed.

I will do. There are definitely masterclasses for RNCM students during the day, don't know if there are others for sure.

edit : the website says 'masterclasses' in the three workshop sessions, but no more than that...

We asked about that at the Wind weekend and got a vague answer. I know emsoboe's teacher is very keen for her to do the Sax Day but I've no idea if that means she can access a Masterclass. I'll see if she can find out what's on offer and maybe between us we can work it out.

If/when I get a reply to my email notmusimum, I'll let you know too

I'll get her to ask Saturday too and then we can compare notes.

OK! Hopefully I'll have some notes to compare with you!

I'm not going to make it. If I was going up to the North West I'd want to combine it with a visit to my parents and I'm just too busy at work at the moment to realistically be able to take any time off until the deadline at the end of the month has been met.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but knowing Rob I wouldn't expect too much in the way of information about exactly what's going on until the day itself. His "timetables" for the saxophone course run something like

Session 1 - Workshop
Session 2 - Workshop / Ensemble playing
Session 3 - Ensemble playing / Workshop
Session 4 - Saxophone Orchestra / Ensembles / Workshops

That doesn't mean the sessions are unplanned, far from it. Just that he likes to keep things flexible and has learnt from experience that any timetables he has produced are usually wrong by halfway through day 1.

Aw, that's a shame



OK : so it's quite possible there'll be nothing in the programme either, and it'll be a case of 'look for notices on the day'...

The downside of this is that it could put people off as they think they are going to get more of the same.

Incorporating Masterclasses as the did for the woodwind day would be really good. I don't just mean for RNCM pupils as they have access to top teaching anyway.

I wont be able to make it now either! I need the time for my MA work and for resting.... keep getting ill and losing my voice during wider opps!

I won't be there this year

A shame, on both counts...

Hopefully emsoboe got more notes than me : no reply as yet, which makes me think TSax was right...

Workshops were a bit vague but she has discovered there will be beginner and intermediate improvisation, masterclasses for senior RNCM students and masterclass if you give your music in first (bit vague). Concerts during the day. I think she said more but can't remember. Will check with her tomorrow.

Intermediate improvisation sounds good : the improvisation groups last year were fun (think Carl Raven was involved). Look forward to reading this thread again when you've added to it tomorrow!

I've made a unilateral decision that Music Stand has too much on to go to the sax day this year. he's exhausted at the moment staying up late doing coursework, plus has a clarinet exam on 23rd November and still needs to do a lot of work on scales...

Aw, that's a shame

Hopefully I'll see you both at an event in 2010. Are you, by the way, coming to the recital in York this Saturday?

I'm sorry, I'd love to, but we wouldn't be able to get from music centre in Northallerton to York in time for the recital.

Will you be going to Leeds in January? If so, we'll see you there.

Afraid not, sorry : I will be in the north on January 30th though, for the East London Clarinet Choir's playday in Manchester...

As this is likely to be the last time I'm online 'til after the saxophone day, just letting people know I'm more than happy to meet any forumites going : check my profile pic (I'm in yellow ), and don't be afraid to come and say hello! Will probably wear a stripey jumper and grey-ish jeans on Sunday.

See you there!

It was a fun day

Plenty of playing was done (improvised solo under Andy Scott's nose...hmm...not one of my better moves... ), bought a couple of books, and had a good chat to Carl, hillyb and zappafan.

Both the guest performers (Vincent David and Simon Willescroft) were amazing : really, you shouldn't be able to play the Poulenc flute sonata on a saxophone, at pitch...but Vincent did...

And finally, you might want to make a note that next year, Andy, Rob and the saxophone crew at the RNCM are planning to make next year's 10th event a full weekend extravaganza of all things saxophone, with plenty of playing opportunities and loads of special guests. They're looking at a similar weekend to this year (so by my calculation that looks like 20th/21st November 2010) - I think this is one for the diary for sure!

Sounds great. About 6 years ago there was a Selmer sponsored sax event at Trinity. I took the day off and went along. I spent most of the afternoon watching Vincent David giving masterclasses to the Trinity sax students it was fascinating. My teacher at the time went along to - she's very much more a jazz/funk/pop player but she was completely gobsmacked and inspired by it too.

I think I'm going to have to make an extra special effort to get to next year's if it's going to be a whole weekend. It really isn't that difficult for me to get up to the North West its just trying to extricate myself from life in London for a few days that's a problem, there's always 101 things I need to do here!

OK everyone, let's play 'Spot the barry-clari'

click here

Spotted you (and me!). Great pictures. A good day-was great to catch up with everyone.

I spotted Barry too, and a friend of mine who was there playing tenor in the massed saxophone orchestra.

Spotted Hillyb...but not Barry! Where are you?

If the Sax day is a whole Weekend next year, I think we'll do that one instead of the Wind Weekend.

I'm in several of the early pictures. Wearing a predominantly blue stripey jumper!

Still can't see you - there's someone wearing a brown stripey jumper who looks like you, though.

It does look a little brown in that light...

I'm almost right in the middle of picture no. 3.

The 2010 date, according to the CASS magazine, is the 16th November. That's a Tuesday...

What?! That doesn't sound right, I'm sure I've been told it will be a weekend. I would be amazed if it ends up being mid-week>

An email has been sent : it really doesn't sound at all right...

I suspect that is something else. Perhaps it's a masterclass for their Sax students and CASS have mixed it up.

I've not received the next brochure yet but I will look later to see if there is anything hanging around. I also thought it was supposed to be a weekend.

Sounds feasible.



Thanks notmusimum . They have been on Sundays every time so far...

The Woodwind Day which seems to have started a couple of years ago graduated to a weekend last time.

I think we were told the Sax Day was going to be a weekend this time and they were trying to incorperate Masterclasses. The Woodwind weekend has masterclasses on woodwind except Sax and Recorder. This may have changed as it was last October when they were talking about doing that.